


The Pancake Solution

by tinyarmedtrex



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: AU, Fluff, Joe needs eggs, Joe uses words poorly, M/M, Neighbor au, and then a baking lesson, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26845900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyarmedtrex/pseuds/tinyarmedtrex
Summary: Nicky had just started his morning coffee when there was a knock on his door. The noise made him frown. It was far too early on a Saturday for someone to be knocking on his door. Still, he went over, checking through the peephole to see who it was.When he saw the face on the other side his eyes widened and he quickly tried to smooth down his hair and adjust his shirt. It was his across the hall neighbor. AKA Sex on a stick. AKA Joe, Nicky’s wildly unrealistic crush for the last six months. He had no idea what Joe was doing there, standing in the hall before 8am.He realized a second later that he should probably open the door and find out.Or, Nicky and Joe are neighbors and Nicky has a crush. Too bad Joe is dating someone.... or is he?
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 53
Kudos: 455





	The Pancake Solution

Nicky had just started his morning coffee when there was a knock on his door. The noise made him frown. It was far too early on a Saturday for someone to be knocking on his door. Still, he went over, checking through the peephole to see who it was. 

When he saw the face on the other side his eyes widened and he quickly tried to smooth down his hair and adjust his shirt. It was his across the hall neighbor. AKA Sex on a stick. AKA Joe, Nicky’s wildly unrealistic crush for the last six months. He had no idea what Joe was doing there, standing in the hall before 8am. 

He realized a second later that he should probably open the door and find out. 

Nicky cracked it open, smiling at the man in front of him. “Hi Joe.”

“Nicky, hi.” Joe smiled back and something in him melted. Joe looked liked he had just woken up, his hair was mussed and he was still wearing pajamas. It was an adorably rumpled look. “Sorry to bother you so early.”

“Don’t worry, I was awake.” 

Joe leaned against his doorframe and gave him a rueful smile. “Of course you were, I’ve seen you outside in the mornings, coming back from your morning jog.”

“You’ve noticed?” Nicky liked to go for his runs early, when no one else was awake. It gave him time to think. 

“Oh yea.” Joe smiled. “You’ve got some short shorts Nicky. It’s quite the sight.” 

Nicky flushed red and the two watched each other for a second, eyes catching. This was how their relationship went. Flirting, lingering looks but nothing more. Finding out that Joe had seen him running made his stomach flip. He wondered how often Joe watched and for how long. He may have to start running past the building more. 

Then he realized that Joe probably hadn’t come over to comment on his running outfit. “Did you come over here to complain about my clothes?” Nicky asked, offering what he hoped was a teasing smile. 

“No. Not complaining at all.” Joe said, his eyes trailing over Nicky’s legs. Then his eyes snapped back up. “I came to see if you had eggs. I need some for breakfast and I’ve got someone over so I didn’t want to run to the store and leave them alone.” 

“Oh.” His heart sank. Joe had someone over. Someone he was cooking for. It was an abrupt reminder that whatever flirting he thought was happening was only in his head. 

“Sure, I’ll be right back.” Nicky moved, going to his kitchen and grabbing the carton of eggs. When he came back Joe was in his entry way, looking around. Despite frequently talking in the halls and near the mail boxes they’d never been in each other’s apartments. 

“I like your pictures.” Joe said, pointing to a framed photo he had. 

“Thank you, my friend Quynh takes them.” He said, pushing the half empty carton into Joe’s hands. Five minutes ago he would have happily shown Joe around the apartment but now he just wanted him to leave. Joe seemed to realize that he frowned at the eggs and then went back to the door. 

“I’ll bring the rest back.” Joe promised. 

Nicky wanted to tell him not to worry but Joe was already walking back to his apartment. Once he left Nicky let his head fall against the door. He shouldn’t have expected anything different. Joe was an attractive man, of course he had people over. But still, somehow, it hurt to hear to hear him be so cavalier about it- and clearly he didn’t care if Nicky knew. Another nail in the crush coffin. 

Nicky allowed himself to be miserable for a minute before forcing himself back into his routine, going back to what he had been doing before Joe’s knock had ruined his day. 

A few hours later he was engrossed in a book when there was a second knock. Nicky opened the door again to a smiling Joe. 

“Brought your eggs back.” He said, handing them to Nicky.

“You really didn’t need to.” Nicky said, trying not to think about how many hours it had been since Joe had borrowed them, how long the person had stayed. 

“Hey, I may not be able to plan for shit but I’m not an egg thief.” Joe replied, giving Nicky a grin that melted his heart. 

Then, because Nicky clearly hated himself, he asked, “Did your friend enjoy the eggs?”

Joe cocked his head, looking confused for a second. Then his smile returned and he shook his head. “Well, no. I was informed that I burnt them.” He shrugged. “I’m not a good cook like you.”

Nicky wanted to protest that he wasn’t a good cook, not really, but Joe was still talking. “I was thinking, actually, would you show me how to make pancakes? It’s a fan favorite and I don’t want to disappoint again.”

Nicky knew he should say no. He needed to preserve what little self respect he had left. 

But what stupidly came out of his mouth was, “Of course.”

Joe’s face lit up and he stepped inside Nicky’s apartment. 

“Now?” He asked, eyes darting around at the small mess that his place was. 

“No?” Joe stepped back out. “I mean, I’m free now. Are you busy?”

Nicky wasn’t but he would have liked some time to mentally prepare. Maybe it was better this way though, he wouldn’t have time to panic.

“No, come in.” He stepped aside, ushering Joe in. “I’ll grab everything.” He went to the kitchen, starting to grab the necessary ingredients while Joe wandered into his living room. 

“I think you have the updated version of my place.” He called. “Or the landlord just likes you more.”

“I did bring him cookies.” Nicky replied, grabbing the flour and baking soda. 

“Ah, so that's the secret to getting a new AC unit.” Joe said. Nicky itched to go clean up, to put away whatever strange things he’d left out, but stopped himself. There was no reason to hide anything, it wasn’t like he was trying to impress Joe.   
“You have a lot of books.” Joe said a moment later. “I haven’t even heard of most of them.”

“Some are in Italian.” Nicky replied. 

“You speak Italian?” This time the voice was much closer and Nicky turned, seeing that Joe was in his kitchen doorway, holding some books. 

“I grew up in Italy.” 

“Will you say something in Italian?” Joe asked. “I’ve always loved it.” 

“Sei bello e impossibile,” Nicky said without thinking.  _ You are beautiful and unobtainable _ . It perfectly summed up his feelings for Joe. 

“Wow,” Joe’s lips parted. “That was beautiful, what does it mean?”

Nicky ignored the question and instead pointed to the books Joe was holding. “Are you stealing my things? First the eggs and now my books?” 

Joe chuckled, holding them up for Nicky to inspect. “I was hoping to borrow them? If that’s okay. You know where to find me if I don’t return them.” 

“I’ll storm the castle.” He joked then gestured behind him. “We can get started, if you’re ready.”

“Very.” Joe placed the books on the dining room table then stepped in close, their hips nearly touching. “Dazzle me with your cooking skills.”

“First you need to wash your hands.” He replied, trying to keep his cool. 

“Easy enough.” Joe said, washing and drying his hands before returning. “Now what?”

“We combine the dry ingredients, wet ingredients, whip the egg whites then fold them in.”

“I understood ‘combine’,” Joe said with a laugh. 

“I’ll show you.” Nicky handed him the measuring cups, explaining how to level things and measure correctly. He had no idea if Joe was actually as bad at cooking as he acted. It seemed unlikely, since he even had trouble pouring milk.

“What do you eat all week?” Nicky asked, handing him a towel to soak up the milk. 

“Take out. Bagged salads.” Joe said, looking embarrassed. “There’s not much reason to cook for one.” 

“Hopefully this will help you catch someone.” Nicky forced himself to say. 

“That’s my hope.” Joe said, raising his eyes to Nicky and smiling. It made Nicky’s heart race in his traitorous chest. 

He turned, breaking the far too tempting eye contact. “Here,” He handed Joe an egg. “Now we need to separate them.”

Joe looked skeptical. “How?”

“This is the easiest way.” Nicky took Joe’s hand and held it over a bowl, palm up. Then he cracked the egg into Joe’s palm and let the white spill over into the bowl. “It’s not the cleanest but-” He shrugged. “Then add the yolk to the bowl with the milk.” 

“Let me try.” Nicky nodded, expecting Joe to crack another egg over his hand. Instead he took Nicky’s hand and, holding his wrist, cracked the egg over it. Nicky prayed that Joe couldn’t feel his heartbeat, which was going wild from the gentle touch. Joe didn’t release him either, holding his hand until all the white had dripped into the bowl and then carefully guiding it to the other bowl. 

“You’re right, that is easy.” Joe said, still holding onto Nicky’s hand. He’d somehow moved closer, his body practically covering Nicky’s.

“Some people use the egg shell.” Nicky explained, stepping back and washing his hands slowly. It gave him a chance to recover. “But this does the trick too.” 

“Next you need to whip the eggs.” Nicky said, drying his hands and then handing Joe the electric whisk. “It helps make the pancakes fluffy. You want them to have soft peaks.”

“Soft peaks.” Joe nodded, starting to whip the eggs. “I’m not sure I know what that looks like.” 

“I’ll tell you.” Nicky promised as he turned on the griddle and placed a pad of butter on it. 

When he turned back Joe was peering into the bowl. “Damn, they do get big.” As he leaned in the mix splattered him, hitting his cheek and chin. “And feisty.” 

Nicky hid a smile as he put things away. 

“How’s that?” Joe asked after a few minutes, turning off the mixer and tilting the bowl for Nicky to inspect. 

He glanced down at the egg whites, which were now beautiful peaks. “Perfect.” He glanced up at Joe. “You missed some.” He reached out before he thought better of it, his thumb swiping Joe’s cheek, right where his beard ended, and then licking it clean. He didn’t even realize what he was doing until he saw Joe’s eyes on him. He swore they had darkened slightly. 

Nicky turned to grab the other bowl. He couldn’t allow his imagination to run away like that. 

“Now we fold the whites in. You want to mix it so it’s just combined.” He handed Joe the bowls then watched, letting him fold in the egg whites. “Good! Now the final step, we cook them.” He let Joe pour the batter onto the hot griddle. “We want to wait until the bubbles come up then pop, that’s when you flip them.”

Joe put the bowl down as he finished pouring four pancakes. He gently hip checked Nicky. “You’re a great teacher you know.”

“Thanks.” He watched as Joe wiped some batter from the edge of the bowl, licking it off his finger. 

“And your recipe is damn good.” He added, taking more batter. Nicky saw the tip of his tongue dart out to clean his fingers and he had to turn away. 

He was about to turn and grab plates when he realized he had no idea if Joe was staying. He’d already eaten breakfast with his companion. The thought of eating a stack of pancakes alone was incredibly depressing. 

“Do you have maple syrup? I can’t have pancakes without it and I don't think I have any.” Joe called, flipping the first pancake. It was far too early but Nicky didn’t point it out.

“Are you staying?” He asked. 

“If you’ll let me. And if you have syrup.” Joe replied, trying to nudge the pancake back into place. 

“I’d love it if you stayed.” Nicky said, grabbing his syrup. “It’s from a small farm in Vermont.” He grabbed strawberries and butter too. He made quick work, cutting them up while Joe finished the pancakes. The whole thing was perfectly domestic, in another life Nicky could see them doing this every weekend. 

“Alright! Flapjacks are ready!” Joe said, proudly presenting the lopsided stack of pancakes. “Let’s dig in. These smell amazing.”

Nicky led him to his small dining room, trying not to read into it when Joe sat next to him and not across. They both piled the pancakes high, pouring syrup and placing pads of butter between them. 

“How’d you learn how to cook?” Joe asked as he took a spoonful of strawberries. 

“My mom. She was big into making sure all her kids had life skills.” 

Joe nodded as he took a huge bite, moaning around the food. Nicky chuckled. “Do you like it?”

“How much would I have to pay you to make me these every weekend?” Joe asked, taking another bite. 

“I thought the point of this was so you would know how to make them.” 

Joe shrugged. “Why bother? You’ve perfected them.” 

Nicky rolled his eyes, tearing into his own food. The pair talked as they ate, gossiping about the other neighbors and their pets.

“I’m telling you, Mrs. Murphy is a vampire.” Joe said an hour later as he plunged another dish into the soapy water. He’d insisted on washing them, leaving Nicky to stand by and watch. 

“Just because you never see her-”

“No!” Joe whirled towards him, soap bubbles flying off his hands. “I never see her during the day. I only see her under the cover of night.” He raised his arm, pretending he had a cape. 

Nicky laughed, shaking his head. He hadn’t laughed this much in weeks, Joe seemed to draw it out of him. “Maybe she leaves early! You already said you won’t wake up before 8am.” 

“Vampire.” Joe insisted, wiping off his hands and turning to Nicky. “Don’t let her see your neck.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Joe stepped closer, his eyes warm. “Thank you for today. I appreciate the cooking lesson.”

“Anytime.” Nicky said, wishing he didn’t mean it quite so much.

“Don’t offer that, I’ll be over for dinner every day.” Joe said. Nicky saw him swallow and look nervous for a second. “Nicky, I was wondering-”

“I hope you impress your friend.” Nicky said, cutting off whatever else Joe was going to say. He didn’t want to hear it. “I’ll see you around, yes?” 

Nicky thought he saw a flash of disappointment but it was quickly gone. “Sure, yes. I’ll see you.” He said, grabbing the books and his tupperware full of pancakes that Nicky insisted he take and walking to the door. “This was fun.” 

Nicky nodded, watching Joe make the short walk to his apartment before closing the door. 

Over the next week he didn’t see Joe much. It was probably a blessing. Nicky couldn’t get that morning out of his head, the closeness, the ease of cooking with Joe. He knew if he saw the man again all those feelings would rush back. 

It wasn’t until the next Saturday that he saw Joe. Again, there was a knock on his door early in the morning. He opened it to a guilty looking Joe.

“Did you forget to buy eggs again?” Nicky asked. 

“Not quite.” Joe hung a hand on his neck. “I was trying to make your pancakes but I fucked up somehow. Can you come over and help me? My breakfast companions are pretty pissed.”

Nicky nodded. At least if he met this mysterious other person then he would stop thinking about Joe as anything other than a friend. 

He followed himself into Joe’s apartment, immediately noticing how much brighter and busier it was than his. The next thing he saw was the chaos that was Joe’s kitchen, flour scattered on the counters, broken egg shell on the floor. What he didn’t see was another person. Joe moved past him, going to a bowl and scooping up some batter. 

“Here, taste this.” Joe said, raising a spoon to Nicky’s lips. 

Nicky tasted it and frowned at the terrible flavor. “You added salt instead of sugar.” 

“Ha!” Someone said behind him. Nicky turned, seeing two kids standing in the doorway, looking triumphant. “I told you uncle Joe!” The younger one said, hands on her hips. “You didn’t believe me!”

“He believed you, he just wanted to talk to the neighbor that he likes.” The other said. “Remember?”

“Okkkkkay, you two can go now.” Joe said, ushering them out of the door. “Go watch cartoons. I’ll bring food out soon.” 

The kids disappeared and Joe turned back. “So those are my little critics. They’re worse than adults I swear. 

Nicky felt like he was missing several things. “Are they-”

“No!” Joe waved his hands frantically. “They’re my friend’s kids, Booker. Him and his wife just had a baby so I take these two once a week and we hang out. It was fun until they got sick of eggos and frozen pizza.” 

“They’re the ones you have over?” Nicky asked, feeling foolish and hopeful.

“Yea, of course. Who-” Joe paused and looked at him, looking like he just realized something too. “Did you think I had a date over?” 

Nicky flushed. “Maybe.” 

Joe stepped closer. “No see, I have a crush on this guy who likes to go on early morning runs and can make killer pancakes. And I tried to ask him out last week but he interrupted me before I could.”

The flush deepened. “Oh.” 

He grinned. “Oh indeed.” 

“You should ask him again.” 

The grin grew and Joe nodded. “Nicky, would you like to go out with me sometime? Promise I wouldn’t make you cook.” 

Nicky nodded, a smile appearing on his face too. “I would love to.” Behind them a scream rose up and Nicky could hear the kids arguing about something. 

“Could I also convince you to stay and help me fix these pancakes before the kids revolt? I don’t have Vermont maple syrup but there is bacon.” 

He nodded again. “I’d love you.” 


End file.
